Our plan
UC Berkeley's Dr Marian Diamond has directed the Anatomy Enrichment program for over 30 years. Students who have earned an A or B in the department's Human Anatomy class (IB 131) can sign up for the Anatomy Enrichment Program (IB 133) to teach the anatomical systems of the human body to Elementary School students, K-7 grades. Small teams of students (2-4) develop 50 minutes of activities focused on introducing basic anatomy concepts to the students. This program is a fun, interactive and enriching way so students get early exposure to ideas about biology, how the body works and how to care for their bodies. It helps college students revisit and strengthen their understanding of human anatomy by reviewing the ideas, developing a lesson plan and teaching the concepts to young students. The Anatomy Enrichment Program also helps college students get involved in their communities and get some hands on teaching experience in front of 20 or more young people.
What we did
Some key steps that Dr. Diamond took to put together the Anatomy Enrichment program was to recruit college students, obtain elementary school participation and teaching materials. She recruited top students from her Human Anatomy Class who were interested in participating in the Anatomy Enrichment Program. A class was created to maximize learning and allow college students to get units for their participation. Minimum funding was obtained from the university to reimburse the college student participants for small supplies for their curriculum. Local elementary schools were recruited to participate to host the program. Donated organs could be checked out from the University to share with elementary school students. Other teaching supplies could be obtained from local sources.
Our results
Elementary and College students, Teachers and the Community positively benefit from this project. Students in local elementary schools are exposed to concepts about anatomy and heath and get hands-on activities that enrich and reinforce the learning process. Elementary school students interact with college students providing them with positive role models and ancillary college outreach. The Anatomy Enrichment Program also provides enrichment to college students by providing them with an opportunity to experience teaching and working with children. It provides leadership skills from teaching a class of elementary school students and it gives students a platform to practice their communication and public speaking skills. Critical thinking and organizational skills are practiced in the form of developing clear and concise lesson plans. Teaching anatomy also reinforces the more complex anatomical ideas learned in the Human Anatomy Class through repetition during curriculum preparation as well as answering elementary school childrens' questions. The university students can earn two units for participating in the program. Teachers benefit from a high quality enrichment program with a dependable standard of quality and history of interaction. Local Communities benefit from the program by creating a population that has grown up more aware of their bodies, how they work and how they can help keep their bodies healthy for a lifetime.
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